Artistic OPPortunity

          This summer one emerging Fargo photographer made his mark in the Red River Valley, the country, and the internet. From Pennsylvania to Dickinson, Jeffrey Opp has been making a name for himself with his stunning photographs that connect his viewers to the shared past of a country’s history and present.

          Jeffery Opp strives to capture a tiny moment of a narrative. He allows the viewer to fill in as much as they like concerning the moment before the camera flashed and the moment after the image was taken. His vast portfolio encompasses a wide diversity of styles, from color to black and white, landscape to portraiture, and studio-posed subjects to street photography. “I always look for things that are abnormal or out of place,” Opp explains when asked what delights him enough to demand a shot.

          His diversity carries over to his equipment, which includes digital, large format, and antique cameras. A bookshelf in his small apartment holds the collection, part of which includes a 1920s pocket Kodak, a 1940s miniature Falcon, and a large 4” x 5” Graphlex. Opp refuses to tell his girlfriend the exact number and she’s wise enough not to ask too often. He is always on the lookout for new cameras, though, hitting the local antique shops to find another antique shooter he can modify to fit his film. Opp has also experimented with pinhole cameras, using everything from an industrial toilet paper box to a Dirkon camera made entirely from paper.

          Opp traveled to Scotland in June of 2008 with a group of fellow art students from MSUM and focused on the power of stone to tell a history, more specifically, Scotland’s history. Ruinous castles, holey cathedrals, and Neolithic stone circles captivated the photographer and his photographs convey a paradoxical sense of time and timelessness. “I’m always interested in the history of things, of how they came to be in the state I find them,” says Opp. And while that history cannot be conveyed with a single picture, Opp always researches his subjects and makes sure to include his finding in statements that accompany his displayed work.

          His most recent project, entitled “The Fargoans,” focuses on life in the Midwest city. Opp relies on street photography, a process where the photographer walks the streets and shoots as people pass unaware. Since there is no posing or adjusting the light source, getting a great shot depends solely on timing, skill, and a little bit of luck.

          In 2008, his photograph, “Pom Martini,” landed a spot in the annual, Best of College Photography anthology, making him among the top 400 college photographers in the nation to earn such an honor. Last year, Opp was one of five MSUM students awarded the Excellence Award, the art department’s highest scholarship. His work is also featured in At the Lake, a documentary book about Bad Medicine Lake, the Dickinson Museum Center’s show, “Great Plains, Great Art,” which runs through September, and the Hotel Donaldson restaurant in downtown Fargo, also until September. The 2009 Fall issue of the North Dakota Horizons magazine will contain several of Opp’s photographs in a documentary essay on Highway 81. Prints from his, “Written in Stone,” Scotland series have been picked up by a consignment store in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

Opp started a business in January of 2009, aptly named Jeffrey Opp Photography. Using a simple web-making program, he created his own unique website, http://www.jeffreyopp.com, that not only showcases his portfolio but offers prints of his work, including his “Fargoans” and “Written and Stone” series. Opp is also available for portraits or freelance work. You can contact him via email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

          Opp will graduate from MSUM in December of 2009 with a Bachelor’s of Fine Art degree in photography.  He plans to attend graduate school in the fall of 2010.  When asked what he plans to do after earning a Master’s Degree, he simply replied: keep shooting.

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